Jeff Snodgrass may be surprised to learn that the story about Jesus telling people not to cast the first stone was added many years after Jesus was supposed to have existed.... it's not in any of the original texts. [Click here]

Bart Ehrman was a fundie who learned Greek and other ancient languages so he could read God's inerrant words in the original...

Which reminds me of a favorite joke:

Jesus came upon a small crowd who had surrounded a young woman they believed to be an adulteress. They were preparing to stone her to death.

To calm the situation, Jesus said: “Whoever is without sin among you, let them cast the first stone.”

Suddenly, an old lady at the back of the crowd picked up a huge rock and lobbed it at the young woman, scoring a direct hit on her head. The unfortunate young lady collapsed dead on the spot.

Jesus looked over towards the old lady and said: “Do you know, Mother, sometimes you really piss me off.”

Angela

Bob,

I check into your site about 3 times a week to giggle at more hatemail, amazing strangers, and Satan's Salvation. But, never has one of your hatemailers made me as angry as Jeff Snodgrass.

"You can't claim to have love and be an atheist at the same time." What the fuck?

Unfortunately, many Christians and other religious people make this claim as a way to basically say, "I am superior to you" and to paint atheists as heartless people. Not only is it insanely untrue, but this kind of mindset paves the way to justification of acts of violence towards a group of people. Like Matthew Shepheard(sp), the Mormons, or any other acts of genocide.

People already think that we have no morals and no love for anyone else. How long will it be until Atheists are no longer considered human?

People might think that this is a stretch of the imagination, but is it really? I'm not saying to bunker down and prepare to leave the country at anytime, but after watching history repeat itself so many times it isn't something to dismiss lightly.

Anyway, I'm sure that I'm not telling you anything that you don't already know. Just keep doing what you do...and stay bald. Don't ever grow out your hair. Bald is just too sexy. Or a bit of a receeding hairline, like Jason Statham or Bruce Willis(that makes me shiver just thinking about it).

Love, love, lots and LOTS of pure Atheist love,
Chelsea Naughtin

“I didn't mean that last comment when I called you a piece of shit.”

Bob,
I'm back after all. Sorry for the last short emotional fueled retort that I sent your way. It was only out of frustration. I apologize. It's a tough subject after all. I didn't mean that last comment when I called you a piece of shit. Don't judge me on that. Please.

For a real response to your last message, Bob, I can only say that I could never view anybody as less than me regardless of race, beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, or anything. If I did, then I'm the one that would be wrong. That's the entire message of the gospel, Bob. Something has been granted to us that NONE of us deserve. I did nothing to deserve it so how could I believe that I'm better than anyone else. I assure you, I don't. I am unworthy to stand before God, except for one thing. I realize it. Iv'e aknowledged the fact that I'm unworthy. That's the only difference between us, Bob. I only wish you could aknowledge this too.

Jeff, if you're viewing everyone as equal, without any judgment beyond how they act, I commend you. But it has nothing at all to do with the Bible's teachings. If there's one thing the Bible isn't, is a direction booklet on how to treat everyone equally, open to all views of thought, with discussion that weighs the evidence, logic first and foremost, valuing human life most of all. You already know this, Jeff. Don't play dumb with me.

It's a dictatorship, and God's the master, and everyone else has their own eternal afterlife dangling over the frying pan, plain and simple. The gospel condones war, bloodshed, stoning women, kids, homosexuals, non believers, and basically anyone who thinks they might wanna believe something other than God's Word. Go ahead and ask me for bible quotes to back my claims. You know I got 'em.

What's encouraging is that despite what the bible says, and the great number of people who think it's God's Word, we still know better than to stone people for being different, or killing your neighbor for bowing to a false god, or slaughtering gays in the streets. Why do you suppose we know better than God, Jeff? And if you say "Jesus Christ" I'm gonna be really unimpressed.

Bob

“...some of the accounts I read in the Old Testament confuse me. It seems like God told the Israelites to do some pretty brutal things. I don't understand it.”

Bob, I'm sure you have some quotes for me as I'd like to hear them, but where are you coming from when you say the gospel condones what you said it condones?

You know the Bible so I'm sure you know the story of Jesus and the women that was about to be stoned. These people had judged this woman and THEY decided that she should be stoned for being a sinful woman. JESUS was the one that came along and said "If one of you is without sin, then cast the first stone." In case you didn't know Jesus wasn't saying it would be ok to stone the woman if you were perfect. Jesus was without sin and he didn't start throwing any rocks. Instead, he told her that he wasn't going to judge her. Jesus told us not to judge people many times while he was on this earth. Jesus' life is meant to be an example for us to live by so how can you say that it condones killing and judging? He was quite the opposite.

Of course I'm not going to play dumb, Bob. I'll admit that there are a few accounts in the Bible where I'd be lying if I said I was completely comfortable with them. In fact, some of the accounts I read in the Old Testament confuse me. It seems like God told the Israelites to do some pretty brutal things. I don't understand it. I haven't really dug into the Old Testament in a while so I'll look these accounts up if were going to discuss them.

Whether or not those accounts are false or just completely beyond any explanation that I can fathom, I am sure of the message of Jesus. That's what the Gospel is. Jesus didn't teach anything of the sort that you described. Even in the Old Testament, I believe it says "thou shalt not kill".

Dr. Jeff Snodgrass
drjeffsnodgrass@gmail.com

Yes, well you see, that's the problem. The Bible says a great many things. If you want to condone slavery, you can use the Bible to do so, which is exactly what they did. Or you can use it to discriminate against gays, reciting irrefutable quotes from scripture, as they are God's exact commands. Or you can use the Bible as a tool to condemn people of other beliefs. The bible gives clear and concise directions on how to punish anyone who tries to tell you of another god, and it's not very nice. I can show you both where it says "Thou shalt not kill," then a few commandments later telling you exactly who and how to kill with God's blessing. The same goes for how to treat disobedient children, adulterers, witches, hookers, slaves, foreigners, women, the rich, people who cut their sideburns, or a great many other horrible things, said by both God and Jesus Christ, that can be argued against other quotes in other parts of the Bible. And it's not just a few accounts as you claim. In fact, there is such an abundance of brutality in the Bible there's a gargantuan website solely devoted to it: evilbible.com. Go have a look-see, and have a pencil & paper ready, with "excuses" written at the top.

It reminds me of a statement that quite simply states:

Absolute Truth is definite.
The Bible is not definite
The Bible is not absolute Truth.

And if ever there was a phrase which said everything all at once, bare bones and on the dime, there it is. You can go on and on about your super-beings and their perfect words, making excuses for the things God says that you disagree with, but in the end you'll always find yourself defending extremely messy, horribly brutal (stoning-children-to-death brutal), contradictory instructions which give no regard to human suffering and attaching your name and face to it. That seems to be your position, and you're welcome to it. But don't go thinkin' you're not gonna be called out on it again and again, and people aren't gonna be impressed with your self-imposed ignorance. Then you'll see words coming out of your mouth that make excuses for some of the most grotesque behavior, and it's not gonna feel nice.

I'm sure you clearly understand where Atheists are coming from now.
Bob